Zesty Wheat Berry Salad with Almonds
July 25, 2010 in Salads, Wheat Berry Recipes by Joyce Bunderson
Ingredients
Ingredients:
1 cup raisins
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ cup roasted slivered almonds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 cups cooked wheat berries
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Lemon juice to taste
Chopped parsley
Directions:
Toast the almonds in a skillet. Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside to plump.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the turmeric and orange zest and sauté 3 minutes.
Place the wheat berries in a medium saucepan; add raisins and a half cup of the raisin liquid. In a separate pan, combine the orange juice, spices and salt and bring to a boil.
Pour this over the wheat berries and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes then stir with a fork.
Drain the raisins of any remaining liquid. Toss the raisins, onions, and almonds with the wheat berries. Top with parsley.
Click here for more about citrus
bev said on May 30, 2012
I cooked wheatberries for the first time today and searched for a recipe. This one really looked great so I prepared it. But I wonder if it is intended to end up with about a cup of liquid? At first I drained the finished product then decided the liquid was so tasty I returned it to the ‘salad’ – more like 1/2 soup. SO I re-read and re-read the recipe to be certain I followed it correctly. One paragraph instructs to add the raisins and 1/2c juice to the wheat-berries and a later one says to add the raisins to the almonds/onions. Please clarify – and describe the expected final texture. Thx
Joyce Bunderson said on May 31, 2012
Dear Bev,
So sorry that your salad turned out like half soup. I’ll try to make a couple of suggestions. This recipe is really worth a second try (I think).
First, when you put the raisins in a the small saucepan, just barely cover the raisins. The point is that you really don’t end up with very much liquid from the raisins. If you notice that you have much more than the 1/2 cup of liquid that you need for the recipe, you could keep it for another recipe (substitute if for some of the water in hot cereal, for example).
The only other suggestion that I can think of is a variation in the tenderness of the wheat berries. If the wheat berries are pretty firm, they will not absorb as much of the liquid as if they are cooked to a little softer stage. No problem. If you enjoy them a little firmer just use less orange juice and raisin liquid.
This is actually a tangy, tasty salad. It wasn’t supposed to be soup, but I guess it could be served that way (hot or cold) – the flavors would still be wonderful.
Sending my very best, hope this helps,
Joyce
bev said on May 31, 2012
Ms. Joyce: Thanks for your very prompt reply. My wheatberries were a bit firm and chewy – likely did not absorb much liquid. I agree that this recipe is well worth a 2nd and 3rd try and many more, the flavors were delightful. Given your response of only 1/2c raisin soaking liquid required, I recommend that the recipe be corrected by deleting “; add raisins and a half cup of the raisin liquid” from the second paragraph since the next sentence instructs adding 1/2c of raisin liquid to the orange juice.
Joyce Bunderson said on June 1, 2012
Dear Bev,
Done! Hope that will not only be better, but also be easier to understand. Thank you so very much for following up. I appreciate your help.
Best to you,
Joyce